The United States announced on Friday it will grant nearly $155 million in humanitarian assistance to Iraq to help the Middle East country take care of its refugees and displaced families. "The United States is pleased to announce nearly $155 million in additional humanitarian assistance for the people of Iraq as well as Iraqi refugees in the region and generous communities hosting them," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a press statement. "This funding will provide critical shelter, essential healthcare, emergency food assistance, protection services such as gender-based violence response, and water, sanitation, and hygiene services throughout Iraq," the statement read. "US funded programs will support Iraqis displaced by ISIS, many of whom also continue to face hardships from the COVID-19 pandemic by promoting access to civil documentation and legal services, improving the capacity of health care facilities, and increasing access to education and livelihood opportunities," the statement added referring to Daesh as ISIS. The announcement of an additional package of aid comes ahead of an expected announcement of the US troop pullout from Iraq early next week. According to the US media, top Iraqi and US officials are planning to issue a statement calling for American combat troops to leave Iraq by year-end but would reaffirm the need for a US military presence to help Iraqi forces in their fight against Daesh. "We don't need any more fighters because we have those," Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein told The Wall Street Journal. "What do we need? We need cooperation in the field of intelligence. We need help with training. We need troops to help us in the air." The statement is to be issued during Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi's visit to Washington on Monday, The Wall Street Journal reported.
